“You’re leaving,” I said, a heavy feeling settling in my chest. I didn’t need an answer. I knew.
“Nic’s run into some trouble. We can deal and we’ll get Lazar back here with us, but we need more men. I’ll have to pull some from the compound. Once we’re all back here, Kozlov’s men will come by chopper and planning begins.” He reached out a hand to the side of my face, stroking the skin under my ear. What was it about that spot…? “You’ll be safe here.”
“I’ll be alone here,” I said sitting up. The sheets fell to my waist. “I don’t want to be alone, not after…after we…” He leaned in and kissed me.
“I can’t bring you with me Abby. You’re safer here. For now only Lazar’s people know about this place, and damn few of them. I can’t do my job and protect you at the same time. I need to know you’re here…and that they can’t touch you.”
“How long?” I asked.
“I should be back sometime tomorrow. Evening at the latest.” His hands stroked up and down my naked back as he spoke and I clenched inside. My pussy was tender as hell yet I wanted him again. He kissed me and I saw his full length rigid in his jeans.
“Believe me Abby, I’m going to get back to you as soon as I can. But I have a job to do. They’re my family Abby.”
What am I? I thought as my body responded to his, but I knew I was being unfair. I’d be perfectly safe here and I’d only be a dangerous distraction if I went with him. He was leaving to help save the man who’d been a father to him and to keep his organization from falling into the hands of a man who sold women to the highest bidder. I had no right to be angry. He’d told me he would come back and I knew it was the truth. After all, he had come back for me before.
“Go Dane. Go…and find Lazar. I know it’s what you need to do. And I’ll be fine.” I looked up into his dark, beautiful eyes and leaned in to kiss him. He kissed me back hard and I could feel him, holding himself back. “Go. And come back to me as soon as you can.”
He pulled himself away and stood, beautiful and towering over me. “Explore the house. The kitchen is stocked and you’ll find anything you might want. Just stay inside. Everything is locked and there’s a state of the art security system. Don’t open doors or windows.” I didn’t like how serious his face looked. He saw me watching him and smiled. “It’ll be fine Abby. Just stay inside. Sleep and eat. Please eat while I’m gone.” He cupped my ass and pulled me to him. “I like a girl with something to hold on to,” he said with a teasing leer and gently swatted my behind.
He stuffed some things into a duffle, including several handguns with extra clips. He took more cash than I’d ever seen from a wall safe, shoved it into an envelope and threw it carelessly into the bag. He pulled my still naked body against his fully clothed one. The sensation was surprisingly erotic. I wanted him to stay…
“Come back for me?” I asked into his hard chest.
“Fuckin’ depend on it,” he said, kissing me hard and taking in the full length of my body.
Then he was gone and I was alone, standing naked in the huge bright living room. I heard the security system arm after he closed the door and a moment later the roar of the Rover’s engine. I walked back to the bedroom. The clean delicious male scent of him lingered in the air. The room was uncomfortably still without him. I turned away, deciding to explore what would be my home for the next day or so.
The kitchen was large and well lit by enormous skylights. The appliances were steel and the countertops black marble. I opened the fridge and found a mouthwatering selection of cold meats and cheeses. There were a couple of expensive bottles of wine chilling and a wooden bowl of fresh fruit on the counter. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I was…
I gathered my clothes from the bedroom floor, blushing absurdly from the realization that Dane must have carried me in from the car and undressed me as I’d slept the night before. I put my clothes in the washer just off the kitchen and remembered his hands on my body this morning. How he’d teased and aroused me, how he’d readied me to take him. Nerve endings tingled inside me as my tender flesh clenched against emptiness, still wanting to feel his thrusts. I ran my hands over my sensitive flesh and headed for the shower.
Twenty minutes later I was deliciously clean and combing out freshly washed hair. The shower was lonely without Dane’s wet naked body, but it was amazing to be clean again. I wrapped up in a towel, moved my clothes to the dryer and headed for the kitchen. Ten minutes more and I’d prepared a plate of cold roasted chicken and a fresh fruit salad. I poured a glass of white wine and settled into an overstuffed chair. It was wonderful to be safe and comfortable, but I missed Dane. We were supposed to have had these two days together. I wanted to fall asleep and wake again in his strong arms.
I felt the truth of it deep in my belly and realized I wanted that and more. I’d given myself to him fully…and he was the only one. He was sensitive and passionate and made me feel things I’d never dreamed of. I pressed my thighs together and felt how tender his big cock had made me. I couldn’t imagine living without all the feelings he brought out in me and yet I still couldn’t see what a future with him would look like.
He was a killer and I was a student. He was a powerful man in the mafia and I was a twenty year old art major. He brought the whole world to life for me and what did I really bring to his world? He worked for a criminal organization and was loyal to them. He was out there and might be killing for them now…
No matter what I wanted, could we really have anything lasting between us? Had I given myself to someone I could never have a real life with? Did he even want any of those things with me? And if he didn’t, could I ever fit back into my old life again. And would I even be alive to try?
I put my empty plate in the dishwasher and curled back into my chair. The sun was beginning to set and I couldn’t face the empty bed. I remembered the dream I’d had on awakening and a shudder ran through me. I knew so little about Dane.
I fell asleep in my chair with Dane’s face in my thoughts. As I sank deeper into sleep his black eyes shifted and changed to a light watery blue.
19
Dane
I felt a tearing sensation deep in my gut as I tore up the road. I was leaving Abby again and I fucking hated it. I knew it was for the best and that she’d be safe, but nothing felt right without her by my side. I needed to see her, to touch her. In a matter of days, taking care of her had become my main priority.
I shifted in my jeans, trying to make room for my hardening cock. The sensation of her, lush and soft, tight and wet had stayed with me leaving me rock hard and aching for her again. Shit, there’d been no shortage of women in my life. Hot, smart, sexy. But not one of them had ever left me with the feeling I had now. It was as if an invisible cord connected us, and no matter the distance pulled me back to her. I should be running the fuck away from shit like that…and yet I wasn’t. I knew I would get my ass back to Abby as fast as I could and my rampant cock throbbed in agreement. I passed the car ahead of me and hit the gas hard.
I needed to focus on what was ahead of me. Abby may have become a major priority, but there were still others. Right now Lazar was the unwilling guest of a dumbshit pair of brothers he owed money. They weren’t a real threat, as long as they were paid. I’d dealt with these assholes before.
Smart enough to do business yet weak enough that their loyalty could be bought, I suspected Sully and Ender Cuza had heard trouble was brewing and saw an opportunity to both collect what was owed them and join in the upcoming war. With their cash on me, plus an additional bonus as incentive, I figured to be coming back with Lazar, Nic, the brothers and a handful of additional, malleable men we could make use of. A few discreet calls had alerted our men at the compound and with Kozlov’s numbers too, we’d be fucking ready. Everyone would converge at the house where Abby waited. I’d be back where I could protect her and planning would begin to finish off Macek and the fucking threat he represented to our family. It was shit to cut an entire arm off
the body of our organization, but the time had come. We had room for only one vision of the future now, and that vision was Lazar’s. Everything hinged on it, including Abby’s future.
I pulled into the well lit drive of a large house on the outskirts of Chicago. Nice, not too flashy. Nic had texted me the address. The brothers were expecting me. I’d pay them, then we’d negotiate the price of their allegiance. This just needed to happen fast.
The garage door lifted as I pulled in. Fucking Ender was waiting and waved me in.
“You’ve got something that belongs to me, Ender.” I said climbing out of the Rover and stretching my legs.
“Back the fuck at ya,” Ender drawled. He was man of few words. “Brought it?”
“What the fuck you think.” We walked from the garage to the kitchen. “Where the hell is he?”
“Good to see you, Dane,” said Sully. “Been a while. You need a drink?” He lifted his own glass.
“I’m good Sull. And I’m on a fucking schedule here. You picked a shit time to call in a debt,” I said putting my duffle on the table and pushing it across.
Ender took out the thick envelope with a grunt and started to count.
I turned to Sully, impatient. “Where the fuck is he?”
Sully handed me a cell phone and turned to refill his glass. I stepped into the dining room. “Dane? Is that you Dane?” Lazar’s voice came from the phone in my hand.
“Fuck Lazar, where the fuck are you? Is Nic with you?”
“He’s here Dane. We’re in a goddamn motel off 53 with one of Sull’s gorillas. You passed by us on the way down there. Pay the fucker and get your ass back here. We can be back to the safe house fast from here. You got men lined up from the compound? Any word on Macek?”
“He knows I’m gone. He’s a sick fuck but he’s not stupid. He knows what’s coming. He’s in your office,” I heard Lazar choke. “I think he’s overconfident because he’s still in the compound…”
“Get here, Dane. Get the fuck back here. We’ll call in favors and buy who we have to.”
“I’m working on that right here, boss, and then I’m coming for you,” I said. I swallowed hard. “Lazar, I have to tell you about Arseny.”
“You sure as fuck do Dane,” Lazar said quietly. “Now move.” The call ended.
I’d been with Lazar most of my life and I could read him. He already knew about Abby.
He must have heard it from Cutter. I wondered what kind of story the little fuck had told and my fingers itched to wrap around his goddamn neck. But dealing with Cutter would keep. I needed to tell Lazar the truth about Abby and he needed to meet her for himself. I would make him see she was no threat. And that she was mine. It was the only way to keep Abby safe and protect my future with Lazar’s organization.
First things first, I thought heading back to the kitchen and pulling a second envelope from my back pocket. “Boys,” I said holding it up, “I have a proposition for you.”
What the hell took so long?” Lazar asked irritably. He strode past Ender’s watchdog who was damn near as big as me, sitting in a worn armchair with a bag of chips and watching a game show on TV.
“Miracle I wasn’t stopped a dozen times on the road, Lazar. I fucking flew here after I paid the brothers,” I said. “But first I enlisted their aid, along with your friend here,” I cocked my head toward Chips, who ignored all of us. “You and Nic are with me. Sull, Ender and a few others are about an hour behind us. They’ll pick this one up on their way.”
The three of us were in the Rover and headed north within minutes. A couple of hours later my thigh was twitching with nerves and I’d pushed my speed up to ninety five. Lazar was tense and this was a shit time to tell him about Abby, but we were fast running out of time. We’d be there soon.
“All the Dalca’s are with us. They’re at the compound and ready to move on your order,” I told Lazar. He sat shotgun, Nic was in the back listening. “I made the calls on the drive.”
The Dalca’s were loyal to Lazar from years back. They had connections of their own to bring in and we could use them all.
“Good, good…I knew we could count on them,” Lazar said, nodding as he watched the dark road ahead. “They like dealing in art as much as I do while Macek would burn it all, every priceless piece, before he’d give up his dream of turning my life’s work into nothing more than a fucking brothel.”
Nic sat forward. “Sully left us our phones in the motel. We’ve got Kozlov and his people heading in by helicopter. They should get to the safe house around daybreak, shortly after we do.”
“Sull knows what side his fucking bread is buttered on. What did you have to give them to join us, Dane?” asked Lazar.
“Once they had their five grand, they threw in with us for another three. Shit, I think they’d have signed up for nothing.” I smiled. “Those guys just want to play.”
“They’ll get their chance. I hear Ender has some skills…”
“Lazar, there’s an issue we need to discuss. It’s about the last job…” I launched in. “I intended to tell you before Cutter did. I’m sure he must have told you about the girl, but he sure as shit didn’t give you the real story. It’s complicated and I want you to hear it from me.” I rubbed a hand along the back of my neck, hating that I hadn’t told him earlier. Without him on our side, there was no way for me to launch into a mob war on his behalf and keep Abby protected too. What the fuck would I do if it came down to a choice…?
“I wanted you to come to me yourself Dane. What the fuck have you been thinking? I know you kept her alive.” His tone deepened. “You should have taken care of this days ago.”
‘I should have told you a lot sooner.” I didn’t like what I heard in Lazar’s voice and my gut clenched. I knew he was a good man. He had a wife that he loved and three daughters. He’d have to understand my wanting to protect Abby. He would trust my loyalty to him and to his family. I’d killed for him and I was going to kill some more. He had to trust me.
I took a breath.
“Lazar, her name is Abby. Arseny had taken her off the street and was starving her. The twisted goddamn fuck was going to break her for a kennel. I didn’t see her until it was too late…the kill was already happening.”
“Cutter must have told you she’s a witness and he’s right.” I paused. “She’s just a student, Lazar. She’ll stay quiet. She wants to stay alive and she won’t be a problem. I’m not going to let Cutter fucking take her and I need you behind me to prevent it. I’ve never asked for shit Lazar and I’ll die fighting for you if I have to.” He turned from watching the road to me and I met his eyes with force. “But I fucking want her.”
Lazar’s eyes shifted back to the road. He tented his fingers and was silent. It was too dark to read his face. My scalp itched and my stomach turned to lead as I waited for him to speak.
“I’m disappointed in you Dane,” Lazar said, never taking his eyes from the road. “You know the fucking rules as well as Cutter does. She may not present a serious threat to us, but she’s a fucking complication. We have a war coming and there’s no room for complications. Or men with split loyalties.” He turned from the road to me, the lights from the dash illuminating the side of his face. “I’m sorry Dane.”
“The girl dies.”
20
Dane
I ground my teeth in silence for the last few miles before we pulled into the safe house where Abby waited. There was no fucking way in hell I was going to let Abby die. I slammed my hands into the steering wheel as we pulled into the drive and Lazar shot me a look. I’d handled everything so badly yet I couldn’t give up the idea that I could still bring him around if I just had more time…
I was out of the Rover and up the steps. I could hear a helicopter in the distance but coming closer. All our contacts would start arriving in within minutes. Soon there’d be more than fifty men, armed and ready. Instructions would go out fast and then we’d be headed for the compound. There wouldn’t be time to get to Lazar
now. I watched Nic and his father head to the rear of the house where the chopper would land. I’d have only a few minutes with Abby.
I found her asleep in a chair by the window. The early morning light was reflected in her hair. She was soft and golden, the lushness of her breasts rising and falling with her breath. I wanted to carry her to the bedroom and tear off the towel barely covering her. I wanted to give her so much, and yet I was about to drag her behind me into the middle of a mob war where she had enemies on every side. I watched her sleep a second longer and woke her, pulling her into my arms and kissing her savagely. Her towel slipped to the floor. I lifted her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom, closing the door as I heard cars pull up and voices outside.
“God Dane, you’re back. You’re here with me.” Abby wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight. I was hard and aching for her. The feel of her skin as even better than I’d remembered.
“Abby…,” I started before dropping my lips to hers and plundering her mouth again. I wanted to taste every inch of her and the thought of her hot mouth on me made my cock strain against my jeans. Her naked body slipped down the length of me until her feet reached the floor and I took her sweet hot ass in my hands as I kissed her. “God Abby… there’s nothing I want more than you right now, but the men are arriving. There’s no time Abby.” I kissed her again, my eyes lingering on her fucking beautiful breasts. A man could lose his mind looking at a body like hers. “There’s no more time.”
“I need you to dress and listen,” I said with effort. I saw her clothes on the end of the bed and handed them to her. I watched her movements as she dressed, planning as I spoke.
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